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Stepping off the airplane I felt the dense humidity envelop me like a heavy coat. I smelled the sweet aroma of incense, but I couldn't locate its source. Later I would discover that the thousands of temples on Bali always had incense burning as part of their offerings which are called 'Canang'. These were thoughtfully created by Balinese women who are the caretakers of the family temples -- they are in many ways, responsible for the Spiritual practices that have been upheld on Bali for hundreds of years. I had come to this magical island to start a new life. For me it was a total leap of faith. As I arrived at my guesthouse in the small beach town of Sanur, I felt my shoulders drop down. It was as if I had come home. I dropped off my bags and decided to venture around Sanur to see the sights. As soon as I walked outside I encountered a scraggily street dog with open wounds. He stared at me with his dark brown eyes that were seeking food. I looked in my pocket and found a couple of cookies from the airplane that I gave him, gently placing them on the ground. He quickly gobbled them up. As I continued walking to the beach, I saw many shrines with Canang, and again smelled a wonderful aroma. This time it wasn't the incense, but a beautiful Frangipani tree with white and yellow flowers. Some flowers had fallen to the ground, so I picked one up and put it behind my right ear. There was a very special energy here that I had never experienced in all my travels -- a feeling of being totally connected to nature which soothed my soul. I arrived at the beach where there were many wooden boats on the seashore called 'Jukungs'. They were all painted with bright yellow, read and blue colors. The sails were all rolled down. I watched as two fishermen pushed one of the small boats out into the sea, and then they both hopped on by hoisting their small, muscular bodies up and over the side of the boat. It felt so peaceful here -- the perfect place to rediscover myself. Moments passed and I heard gongs being played just a few meters down the beach. Many Balinese people were dressed up in traditional clothes. The men wore black sarongs with white shirts and a head piece which is similar to a turban but open in the middle. This is called an 'Udeng'. The women were also elegantly dressed in long, lacy close fitting blouses called 'Kebayas' and sarongs, which are basically a long piece of cloth that is carefully wrapped around and tied at the side. The procession was mesmerizing -- a feast for all my senses as I listened to the cacophony of gongs and gamelan intermingling with the striking procession. One of the women from the procession came over to me and asked, "Where are you from?" I was surprised that she knew English. "From the U.S.A," I said smiling. "Welcome to Bali!" She replied with a warm smile. Her teeth seemed to be gleaming against her dark skin. I hesitated but then I asked,"What is this procession about?" "My grandfather has died and this is his cremation. It's called 'Ngaben'. We do this ceremony to release his soul so that it can enter up there," she said pointing towards the sky. 'That's where it can wait for reincarnasi." "You mean reincarnation?" "Yes, yes, that's right. Or, if he's lucky, he doesn't have to come back again because his soul has learned enough. This is what Hindus believe in Bali." "Wow that's fascinating. Thank you for sharing about your culture." She smiled again and then got up. "I have to return to my group now. It was nice meeting you." As she walked away I felt deeply honored that she had come to me and opened up about her culture. It was like she had opened up a window for me to see inside her world, which was rich with meaning and beauty. I felt excited about what other new discoveries I would encounter on Bali.